Taio Cruz

In high demand from Simon Cowell to write songs for his 'X Factor' contestants, Taio Cruz quickly earned pop mogul status. Raised in London by a Nigerian father and Brazilian mother, he first rose to prominence in 2004, co-writing Will Young's BRIT Award-winning single 'Your Game'. He produced, arranged, sang and wrote his own debut album 'Departure' (2008), including the smooth urban pop singles 'Come On Girl' and 'She's Like a Star', before collaborating with Tinchy Stryder on the hit single 'Take Me Back'.

'Break Your Heart' gave him his first UK number one single in 2009 before second album 'Rokstarr' brought even more acclaim. His next hit 'Dynamite' also topped the charts in several countries and earned him three Billboard Awards. In 2011, Cruz internationally released his third album 'TY.O' which landed in the UK as condensed EP 'The Fast Hits' in 2012 and featured only the more well-known songs from 'TY.O'. His fourth album, '#Black', was to be released in 2014 however Cruz later announced in 2015 that this would no longer surface with a focus instead on releasing singles. In collaboration with French DJ Hugel, Cruz released the single 'Signs' in 2018.